Articles by Bhasker Gupta
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook: Mustt Mustt & Night Song
by Bhasker Gupta
Singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan collaborated with Canadian guitarist Michael Brook on these two outstanding albums in the early to mid 1990s, aiming to reach a cosmopolitan audience by blending his traditional, religious singing style with western production values. During these years, Khan's work made successful connections in broader, secular settings throughout the world, and he was featured on Bollywood and even Hollywood soundtracks (the latter including Natural Born Killers and Dead Man Walking).
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Continue ReadingAnoushka Shankar / Karsh Kale: Breathing Under Water
by Bhasker Gupta
The Shankar family has always been credited for bringing Indian music to the forefront of Western audiences. Although it was Pt. Ravi Shankar who brought sitar to the limelight of western avant-garde instrumentalists, the most experimental fusion work remains of that of the lesser known Ananda Shankar. Following along the same lines, and after two years of delivering Rise (Angel Records, 2005), Anoushka Shankar has collaborated with Karsh Kale for this masterful album, elegantly fusing Indian classical sitars with electronic ...
Continue ReadingMynta: Mynta - Hot Days
by Bhasker Gupta
Hot Days, a compilation of fifteen of Mynta's best studio works, spans 25 years and five albums. Though not a “best of" set, it surely is a definitive collection for those not yet initiated into the unique mix of African and Latin-American rhythms, Arabic sounds and Scandinavian folk tradition that Mynta offers.Few world music ensembles combine the suppleness of Indian Classical with the vigor of Swedish jazz in a more subtle way than Mynta, whose music is fresh, ...
Continue ReadingKishori Amonkar: A Beauty Personified
by Bhasker Gupta
If the last half century of female voice in Indian Carnatic classical belongs to M.S. Subhalakshmi, then Hindustani classical has no other parallel than Kishori Amonkar. Her vibrant, rich and mellifluous voice; her larger-than-life stage presence and the powerful and emotional appeal of her music have kept her at the vanguard of Indian classical music for many years. What's probably most interesting is the manner in which she marvelously synthesizes the ancient traditions of classical singing with new forms of ...
Continue ReadingSusmit Sen: From the Ruins
by Bhasker Gupta
To give credit to Susmit Sen for the amalgamation of Indian Classical music with Western rock and jazz would be a serious understatement as the sound that emanates from the only folk-rock band in India is beyond categorization. Founder of the four-piece band Indian Ocean, and one of the leading jazz acoustic guitar players in India, Susmit Sen has come a long way from being just another name on the circuit to becoming a highly respected avant-garde musician of our ...
Continue ReadingIndian Ocean: Deep, Vast, Free-Flowing
by Bhasker Gupta
It's been five years since I first started listening to Indian Ocean. It's hard to believe that greater fame has eluded an impeccable and mature band that has been around for over 15 years with five albums under their belt. Labels are pointless, as the music stems from a rich cultural Indian background combining elements of Bengali sangeet, jazz improvisation, rock-laden rhythmic patterns, Hindustani classical music, Sufism and a melodic soul that's immediately recognizable.
What's interesting about their ...
Continue ReadingJonas Hellborg / Fazal Qureshi / Ustad Sultan Khan: Friends Across Boundaries
by Bhasker Gupta
The delight of writing a review of this album derives from the fact that I've been listening to it for roughly an year now and finally succeeded in getting it autographed from Jonas Hellborg on his recent visit to India. This album is a distinctive, spontaneous collaboration between Swedish jazz bassist Jonas Hellborg, the famous sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan, and Indian percussionist Fazal Qureshi. When asked about the inspiration behind the album, Jonas amusingly answered that they had a ...
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